


Stages of a Summer Fling

by Goddess_of_the_Multiverses



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 08:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2342135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess_of_the_Multiverses/pseuds/Goddess_of_the_Multiverses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy was very displeased when he learned he would be spending the summer with his father, away from his friends and plans. Surprising even himself, he gets thrown into a friendship that shouldn't have amounted to anymore than that, but the summer really was full of surprises. Nicercy. All Human AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stages of a Summer Fling

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Takara Phoenix's Nicercy Summer Contest.

_**The Stages of a Summer Fling** _

_**Stage 1** _

_**A Meeting of Strangers** _

“Damn it Percy, stop complaining. Is it really that bad to be spending the summer with your old man?” grumbled Poseidon as he watched his son sulk on the couch. Ever since the teenager had gotten here, he had done nothing but sulking and complaining. Not once in the past week had he even tried to leave the house. It was starting to pick at his father's patience. “You are surrounded by beaches and water. Go swimming, make a friend, take your brother to the park. All of those would be better than sitting inside. If you planned that, you might as well have stayed with your mother.”

The teen's green eyes narrowed sharply as he finally acknowledged his father. “That's what I had wanted to do. Annabeth and I had summer plans. Rachel was going to take me with her to Philadelphia. I didn't _want_ to come visit you. You and Mom forced this on me a week before summer started!”

Poseidon opened his mouth to argue more, then suddenly stopped. He could see the rage building up in those green eyes and knew this was a fight he could never win. Percy was, and had always been, a stubborn child. He loved his son very much, but knew winning a fight with him was near impossible. Finally, he took a step back in defeat. “Fine. You win. Stay inside and shrivel for all I care. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work. You are watching Tyson until I get back.” Without another word, the man quickly left. He didn't need another fight to ensue from his words.

A pillow slammed into the door just as it closed. Full of defeat, Percy fell back on the couch and released an aggravated groan. He really had wanted a good fight. It would have given him something to do, or at least to think about. Maybe, if he were in a good mood, he would have even allowed his father to convince him on going outside. Though, he knew the man didn't care either way. He just wanted the argument to stop.

This was the first time in five years that he had visited his father's home. When he was eleven had been the last time. That winter was when he learned more about his parents' relationship and instantly began to dislike his father. Despite visiting him for a month every summer and the occasional holiday visits Poseidon made in New York, Percy never saw his father. This hadn't mattered to the excited child he had once been. It meant everything to the teenager he had grown into. For the first six years of his life, the man hadn't acknowledged neither his nor his mother's existence. Poseidon popped up on his sixth birthday with a present and apology smile. The happy go lucky six year old he was, Percy had easily accepted him...until he realized the man hadn't cared up to that very point. The only thing that brought him thoughts of Percy was the birth of his new son, Tyson.

Percy loved Tyson. The young boy was impossible to hate, yet he sometimes wanted to. Tyson had gotten so much attention from their father. He was the sole reason that Poseidon remembered he had another child in the first place. It enraged him, though he could never do anything about it. Being anything but kind to the child would be a disservice to the world itself.

Letting out an exhausted growl, the teen pushed to his feet. “Tyson!” He called to the boy. Instantly, little footfalls could be heard throughout the large house. He waited a moment in the entryway. The child would find him, he always did no matter where he was. When the ten year old was in front of him, large brown eyes staring up at his brother with wonder, Percy finally smiled. It was something impossible not to do when around an innocent child such as Tyson. “Come on. Put on your swim trucks. We are headed to the beach.”

This explanation had brought nothing but cheer from the little boy. No more than ten minutes later, the two brothers were walking along the sandy strip. Rather, Tyson drug Percy along as he tried finding the _perfect_ spot. They both toted bags along with them. Tyson's was filled with beach toys and floats. Percy's with towels, sunscreen, and the summer homework he had been hoping to put off to the last minute, though it needed to be done and his mother's phone calls about it had begun to annoy him.

Once the perfect spot had been chosen and the boys settled, Tyson took off. He barely grabbed his snorkeling goggles before sprinting into the water. Percy couldn't help but laughing. His little brother lived in the sunny, beach environment year round, yet still seemed to be excited for it. He would never understand it and chose to except it instead. That seemed the best idea.

Tyson didn't bother his elder brother after that. The ten year old found his own joy in chasing schools of fish from one end of the beach to another. He would never wonder too far, always finding an excuse to stay in Percy's line of sight. Percy wondered if their father had trained him to do that, or if the boy just had nice instincts. Either way, it allowed the teen the quiet he needed to begin his reading. Unfortunately as it may be, his English teacher had assigned summer reading. Normally not bothering, Thalia had warned him that there would be a test on their readings the second day of school. The girl had taken the same class a few years before and thought watching Percy panic had lost some of its fun.

Just managed to finish an extremely difficult chapter, dyslexia was less than helpful, was when he heard it. That one voice that changed too much for even his liking.

“Reading on a beach, in the middle of summer no less?” A rich laugh filled the air. “I believe I've discovered a Ravenclaw.”

Percy snorted, attempting to stop his laughing. A shadow had cast itself over his page and he was forced to look up. Standing above him, directly and deliberately in the light's path, was a shadowed figure. His features were difficult to make out, but he could clearly see the mess of curly hair, tanned skin, and oh-so-obvious smirk in place on this thin lips. The smirk was full of the smugness and mischief that he had only see Leo possess as of yet. It sent an unwelcome jolt through his body. Purposely, the teen ignored that feeling. “As if. I'm more a Gryffindor than anything. This is for a school project.”

The teen let out his own snort. Without any invitation, he sat in front of Percy on his blanket. The green eyed teen felt a jolt of irritation go through him that not many people had the ability to pull out. “Yet you aren't procrastinating. My point holds. You are a Ravenclaw. Let's agree now before we get into an argument.”

Huffing, Percy put away his book, raising his eyebrows. “Go away. You're annoying and I don't want you ruining my day anymore than you already have. I'm a Gryffindor and that is final. Now, get.”

“Whatever you say,” the man continued to tease further. “I'm Nico, also known as Slytherin. Let's put this misunderstanding behind us and start out friendship here.”

Finally, with him not standing in the shadows, he could get a good look at Nico. The wild curls were there, a shiny black in color. The tan was olive colored and seemed to be something he was born with. What stood out most were the dark brown pits of Nico's eyes. They seemed to be never ending and currently held amusement.

Now, Percy was more annoyed then ever. “I'm not a Ravenclaw! Now get off the damned subject of Harry Potter and remove yourself from my blanket. I'm busy!” He snapped, temper finally going. It had been a while since he had truly been angry. There was just something about this stranger that bother him...yet he couldn't tell. It was a feeling in his gut he had yet to identify. Pushing it away, he decided there wasn't a need to put more thought into it. This Nico would be gone and never seen again soon enough.

Yet, Nico only continued to smile. “You won't tell me your name then?”

“Why would I tell a stranger my name?” Percy spat back.

The other boy shrugged sheepishly. “Actually, I'm not quite sure. I was hoping you'd know.” Watching Percy's eye twitch, he laughed again. Finally, he stood and backed away from the blanket as he was asked. “Okay, okay. I'm going. No need to glare.” Not getting an answer, Nico offered a wave as he walked off. “I hope to see you around. Maybe we can further discuss how you're so brave and bold.”

Groaning, Percy realized he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his reading assignment any longer. _“Reading on a beach, in the middle of summer no less? I believe I've discovered a Ravenclaw.”_ What kind of pick up line was that? He had easily heard better ones from less handsome people. It was a wonder that Nico had any idea at all he knew about Harry Potter series at all. For all it was worth, Percy could have been clueless and the line would have been a waste of his time.

Suddenly, the teen blinked. “Handsome? Where the hell did that come from?”

_**Stage 2** _

_**Blossoming Friendship** _

The next day, immediately after their father had left for work, Percy had pulled his brother from the house and to the beach. Though, dampening some of the younger boy's excitement, Tyson wasn't allowed to pick the _perfect_ spot. He had tried, taking Percy to the exact same spot as the day prior. Percy had continued walking. He didn't want the chance of running into that Nico stranger again. He needed his full attention to be on his assigned book. After all, they were much harder to read when his mother wasn't beside him, reading along in the characters' voices.

Thankfully, Tyson didn't seem to care much once they had settled. He simply exclaimed he was going to play before taking off to build a sandcastle. As he watched the small boy dig for shells, placing them in his digging pail, Percy was reminded of how much the boy had affected him. He never wanted to have to admit it aloud, but Tyson's birth had made everything better. Even his mother loved him, despite Tyson not being her child.

“So the Ravenclaw is back?”

Percy yelped, book flying in the air and landing somewhere in the sand behind him. Spinning around, he glared at the other teen. “What? Are you stalking me now?”

Nico only smiled at him and sat in front of him on the blanket. “No. I just got lucky in spotting you,” he explained. Grabbing the book, he placed it in front of Percy. “Really, though, you should have seen this coming. You're on the same beach as you were yesterday.”

Snatching the book, Percy turned away, his face flaming red. He had been hoping that walking an extra ten minutes down the beach would have been enough to avoid this stranger. At least, he didn't think that Nico would be deliberately look for him. They had had a five minute conversation, mostly consisting of the dark eyed boy being yelled at.

Taking a breath, he sighed. After making sure he had calmed enough not to yell, Percy open his eyes. “What do you want with me?” He finally asked. His tone was mostly exhaustion, but it tingled with annoyance along the edges.

The corner of Nico's lips twitched up, as if threatening to go into an even larger smile than they already were. “Truthfully?”

“Yes. Truthfully. Completely and utterly truthfully.”

“Alright,” he agreed. “I don't really know. I saw you sitting on the beach by yourself, reading, and decided you looked as if you needed a friend.”

Now, it was Percy who felt the corner of his lips twitching. He forced the smile to stop. Now wasn't the time for smiling. It would give this stranger the wrong idea. He didn't want Nico to assume he was right, to know that was exactly what he needed at the moment. “You're wrong. I don't need a friend. I have plenty of them back home.”

Nico open his mouth, then closed it. His smile dropped. The amused twinkle in his dark eyes were gone. He knew better than to point out what an obvious lie that was if he wanted this conversation to continue. “Where is back home?” Seemed like a safer bet.

It was a moment before the book was slipped back into a bag and all of Percy's attention was on the other in front of him. “I live in New York City with my mom. I was forced to come and stay with my dad for the summer. Where is your back home?” He had answered without thinking about it, no hesitation. That unwelcome sensation was back. It was the one he had gotten upon befriending Annabeth and Rachel. The one that told him all would be well. The one that said this was a good stranger and to keep talking. It was becoming harder to fight.

The smile was no longer fighting to come to Nico's face. Instead, the other welcomed it. “My true back home is in Venice, Italy. That's where I was born and lived for the first nine years of my life. Currently, my back home is here. I'm staying with my father as well, though it is more permanent.”

“You were born in Italy? That's really cool.” Now that the words were flowing, Percy couldn't stop them. That sense of comfort he had around Annabeth was washing over his body and he couldn't understand it. He wasn't one to open up easily. He had been through far too much to allow that to happen, to trust so quickly. Yet, he was openly talking to a stranger. “I wish I could say that my life had as much excitement, but I was born in New York City and have lived there ever since. It is my one and only home.”

The Italian smiled. “Don't feel bad about that. If I could say Venice was my only home, I would love that. It would have been much better to live there my whole life than to move around as much as I did.”

The green eyed teen blinked, frowning. “Why did you move so much?” The words left before he could help them.

“My mother decided to give my father another chance. It wasn't the smartest decision of her life, but it happened,” Nico shrugged, sighing largely. Both teens remained silent for a few minutes as the Italian attempted to force away those unwelcome memories. Percy, willingly, stayed silent as he allowed it to happen. Finally, Nico continued. “What is your name, Ravenclaw? You haven't given it to me, yet I've already told you mine.”

Percy laughed. His smile was in place now, an genuine one. It kept a nice, warm sensation going through his body that he eagerly welcomed. “There is a reason for that. After all, we are only strangers.”

“Tell me your name and you will no longer be a stranger to me,” Nico reasoned. “Think. All friendships start with two strangers meeting. If you don't try, you will not have a chance at making anything but stranger meetings.”

Green eyes blinked as they stared into brown. “I...” The words wouldn't form into a sentence. No matter how much he tried, all he could imagine was Annabeth smirking in his mind. The blonde haired girl had said something similar upon their first attempts at friendship. “I'm Percy.” There was no going back now. This meeting of strangers had taken the turn of friendship. Even if he had wanted to change it, Percy knew he wouldn't.

“It's nice to meet your Percy. Hopefully, this will form into a beautiful friendship of sorts.”

_**Stage 2** _

Mouth agape and eyes wide as dinner plates, Percy stared. He closed his mouth and attempted to open it again, forcing air in and out. Yet, still, no sound came out. It was only when he spotted the smug smile and amused eyes of Nico di Angelo did he finally close his mouth. Pouting, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the taller teen. “Why the hell have you been letting me pay for ice creams when you live here?!”

Without missing a beat, Nico laughed. It was that loud, rich laugh that always succeeded in sending jolts of warmth through Percy's body. “Because you wouldn't let me. I tried, remember?” Upon receiving no answer, he ruffled Percy's hair. “Adorable. That's what you are Percy. Come on now. I want to get inside before Bia realizes I've brought a friend home.”

Said home was the source of Percy's gaping and surprise. It was huge, in every sense of the word. Easily, it could be consider a mansion instead of a house as it was described. When Nico described his home as “big”, this wasn't what Percy had pictured at all. It was far too big to even be considered one.

“Whatever. Next time you describe your house to someone, remember to mention that it's a mansion,” Percy grumbled as he was lead inside. Nico's hand lay on his back, guiding him so he wouldn't get lost in the many halls. “Bia...your sister if I remember correctly?”

Nico nodded in approval. “Yes. Bianca is my older sister. She is also the one that will tease me the most about bringing a friend home...I don't have many,” he admitted.

Again, Percy rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that the Italian didn't have many friends. It was impossible. Nico was nice enough and very handsome. He wouldn't be surprised if girls were lining up to date him. His face heated up to a light pink color at the thought. Thankfully, it went unnoticed by his friend.

“Okay,” Nico finally said. It had taken all of ten minutes to get to his third floor bedroom and many hallways. Percy was leaning against the wall in annoyance. It had taken too much walking and staircases to get there. “Maybe you are right. We do, kind of, live in a mansion. Still, it's my father's, not mine.”

Rolling his green eyes, Percy ignored him. “Whatever.” He pushed into the bedroom and, once again, his mouth feel open. “This is bigger than my mom's entire apartment...”

Nico's room couldn't have been described as a simple bedroom. There was a small, spiral staircase in the corner of the room that lead up to a second floor that couldn't be seen from where he stood. “I am never paying for anything with you again,” Percy finally decided.

Again, Nico laughed. There was a light blush on his face. “It isn't much....okay, maybe that's a lie. My dad is only trying to win me over. That's it,” he promised. He pushed his friend further into the room, going to the far wall. “Come on. You'll like this.” Reluctantly, Percy followed.

The Italian dug through his drawers until he pulled out a small silver remote. He held it out for the other teen to see before pressing one of the two buttons on it. After a moment, fabric on the wall began to move, revealing a large ceiling to floor window that Percy hadn't realized was there. Beyond it, the beach and waves could be seen. Without meaning to, a large smile slid over his face. “Wow...”

“See that door over there? It leads out to a little balcony with a staircase. That's so I can go down to the beach whenever I want. My dad owns this little stretch of it so no one else can go on it,” Nico went on. He had moved to stand beside Percy again. His arm wrapped around him, hand hesitating as it rested on the small of his back. “I just...I thought you would appreciate this more than I did. I know how much you love the water from all that you've told me....You're allowed over anytime you like! You can stay in my room with me. My father doesn't care. He barely notices me, let alone anyone I bring over.”

Percy didn't say anything right away. His mind was too busy trying to process all that was around him. “I can...come over as much as I want?” The words came out as a whisper. The fear that this dream would break if spoken too loudly was in the forefront of his mind.

Nico gave a small nod. “Of course. You are always welcome at my home. Woh!”

Without warning, Percy had latched onto him in a tight hug. His face buried in the other's chest to hide his pink face, he smiled largely. “Thank you.” Again, the words were only whispered.

The Italian smiled just as brightly, if not more. With no hesitation, his arms wrapped around the other teen. “You're welcome Ravenclaw.”

Percy snorted. “Silence Slytherin. You will ruin the moment,” he insisted.

_**Stage 3** _

_**Discovery** _

Percy sighed in content, smiling in his sleep. The ocean could be heard beyond the open door to the balcony. The soft light on his face was what told him it was too early for him to wake up yet. That was the only reason he kept his eyes closed despite knowing Nico was awake beside him, drawing shapes into his back.

A smile formed on his face and he was glad that Nico laid behind him, not being able to tell he was awake. Percy wasn't ready to get on with their day yet. He was too busy enjoying the feeling of light fingers dancing across his back and the tingle of a forgotten dream that lay just out of his reach.

He tried to count the number of days he had waken up like this so far. It became difficult and the teen just summed up that he had been sleeping over too much. It wasn't to be helped, though. Nico was addicting and fun to be around. They had become fast friends and had barely spend a day apart since meeting at the start of the summer.

It had been much to Poseidon's amusement that Percy rarely stayed home anymore. Apparently he would much rather his son be enjoying his summer with friends then sitting inside, waiting for his father to come home from work just to complain more. Tyson didn't seem to mind it either. Apparently, Nico was like a second brother to him, one that bought him ice cream and played with him wherever they went. To say his family approved would be an understatement.

A small giggled escaped Percy when he felt Nico's fingers skirt under his shirt and over the small of his back. He buried his face in the pillow to stop anymore sound from coming out. He wasn't ready to be known as awake yet. This was too enjoyable.

“I know you're up,” Nico whispered quietly. A small smile graced his lips as he watched Percy squirming the more he touched his lower back. “But you can kept pretending to be asleep. I'm perfectly fine with tickling you like this. It's the highlight of my day, really.”

Finally, the green eyed boy rolled over, his face a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “I am asleep. Now silence and let me continue to sleep.”

The Italian chuckled. Reaching over, he pushed away the tangled black hair so he could see those bright green eyes he had become accustom to seeing upon waking in the morning. He noticed that Percy had let it grow out quite a bit since the start of summer. “Oh, no. You're awake now,” he teased. “We have a lot to do today. You're only here for, what? Another two weeks? We will be spending that doing everything possible in this city.”

Percy lightly hit his chest before pulling the blanket over his face. “Bite me. I want to sleep until noon.”

Nico could only laugh, shaking his head. “Whatever you say princess. I'm going to shower. Just head downstairs for breakfast whenever you feel hungry.” Yawning, he rolled out of bed and strolled off to the attached bathroom.

It wasn't until he heard the door closing that Percy finally managed to pull himself from the warm bed. Without hesitation, he strode from the room, making his way to the kitchen downstairs.

Sitting on the island, Percy flushed as a plate was slid in front of him. He had spend the night one too many times when the kitchen staff knew what he liked and when he would like it. Muttering a thanks, he nibbled away. It was a wonder that Nico's father hadn't said anything about him yet...but when would he? Hades di Angelo had yet to make an appearance. Nico said that was normal, the man was so focused on his work that he didn't bother coming home to see his children.

The chair beside him shifted, the sound of a bowl clanking with the table following. “You would make a horrible ninja,” Percy muttered to his friend. “You can't even sneak up on me, and I'm oblivious to everything.”

“Maybe I wasn't trying to sneak up on you,” a feminine voice snickered, causing Percy to jump in surprised. The Italian girl beside him winked, brushing back the black curls from her face. “Nice to meet you Percy. My baby brother never stops talking about it. Mhm, your eyes really are as green as the ocean. Amazing.”

The younger teen only stared at her, waiting for and explanation that didn't seem to be coming. After a few minutes, he put the pieces together. “You're Bianca, aren't you?” It seemed reasonable enough. This girl looked like a near perfect replica of Nico and around the age that his older sister was supposed to be.

The girl grinned and touched her spoon to Percy's nose. “You're much smarter than the other one, mind you. I'm glad Nico has finally found someone to hold his interest,” Bianca chuckled, taking another bite of her cereal. “I've been away with my friends for most of the summer, so my apologizes that we haven't met sooner.”

Percy blinked at her before swallowing. “Oh, well it's fine. Nico mentioned that you weren't around...”

“Yeah, he usually gets me to approve of his little crushes before he pursues them, so I was surprised to hear about you,” Bianca hummed. She kicked her feet back and forth in her chair.

“What?” _Crush?_ Where did that word come from. “Look, it isn't like that Bianca. Nico and I are only friends...he isn't interested in me in that way. I don't know where you came up with something like that.”

The Italian girl stared at him for a minute. Then, a large grin came across her face. “You didn't say you weren't interested in him like that.” Percy's face flared up red. “Look, I'm his big sister. I know that boy better than anyone else. When I say he's into you, I mean it.” She jumped up from her seat, dropping her bowl in the sink. “Go for it Percy. You leave at the end of summer. If things don't work out, then you can both run away and never see one another again.”

“But what if they do?” He suddenly called. Percy took a ragged breath. “I leave at the end of the summer. What if things do work out?”

Bianca paused in the doorway. She looked over her shoulder and offered him a kind smile. “Then you go with it. I'm sure you can figure out the rest on your own.”

_**Stage 4** _

_**Going With It** _

The world felt like it was falling in on him and Percy knew there was nothing he could do to fix it. Nerves rising, he wrung the ends of his sleeping shirt. He'd taken it from Nico the first time he'd stayed over and “forgotten” to give it back. Now, it left him completely covered in the Italian's scent, which didn't help the nerves he was feeling.

Bianca's words still flew through his mind. Nico like him? Really, it seemed very impossible. Completely improbable. Something that couldn't happen in a million years, yet he would have welcomed with open arms. Ever since she had voiced his own thoughts, Percy had even more difficulty lying to himself about these feelings he held for his friend. They scared him. What if things didn't work out? It would a summer romance. These kind of things weren't supposed to work out.

He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in the shirt and taking a a deep breath. He couldn't quite describe the smell of it. Almost a mixture of spices and something else. If there could be a smell to heaven, this would be it. It sent Percy into never-ending bliss at least. The thought of how creep this looked came to mind. What if Nico came in and saw him doing this?

Percy groaned in frustration. He ran his hand through his hair, smiling some. He hadn't cut it once since getting here. It this went on, it would easily reach his shoulders within the next week. Nico had commented on it before. He said it brought out his features. Was that the reason why he hadn't cut it? He couldn't remember.

“Damn it!” Pushing off the bed finally, he slipped on his shoes and ran out the house without another word. A million thoughts ran through his mind and he simply couldn't stop them. They wouldn't fall into any order, or make sense. They didn't help him to put his emotions together, instead tearing them apart. “Stop!”

Bianca noticed him first. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw Percy running through their yard. “Nico,” she called to her little brother. “He's finally back. Go deal with it.”

The younger Italian frowned, glancing up from his chair in the living room. “What do you mean?” Nico stood slowly, coming to stand beside his sister. He watched as Percy ran up to their house. Every few moments, he would stop, turn to walk away, only to start toward their door again. “He hasn't been here for almost a week. Why is he back now?”

“Because he is in love with you Neeks.”

Ignoring his sister completely, refusing to let her see how his face turned pink, he walked out of the room. Nico wasn't willing to admit that she was right. For the past week, while Percy had very obviously been avoiding him, he had been denying everything she said. Though, he didn't contradict her when she commented on his like of Percy. It should have been very obvious, that much. He was the one who had approached the other teen in the first place.

“Percy!” He called from the front door. The green eyed boy froze in place. Slowly, more than he had been when running over, he turned to look up at his friend with large eyes. Nico smiled gently and advanced on him, stopping a few feet in front of him. “Would you like to come in instead of pacing in front of my house?”

Percy couldn't help it. He smiled brightly. “You always know exactly how to make me feel better...how do you do that Nico?”

The Italian smiled brightly at him and advanced another step. “I've gotten to know you pretty well. I pride myself in having the ability to make you smile. Being able to do that keeps me smiling.”

Shaking his head, Percy sighed. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. “No, no. I can't say that. It won't make much sense,” he muttered, making a face. He looked up at Nico and found himself speechless. “Your sister is something. Did you know that? She knows how to brutally put things you barely understand into perspective, even if you, yourself, aren't ready for it.”

Nico only smiled at him cheekily. “Yeah. I know. Bia has a habit of confusing people when they don't need to be.” He took another step forward. “What did she happen to point out to you?”

Without much thought, Percy's face took on a pink color. He looked down at his feet. “The Ravenclaw thing you introduced yourself to me with...it was actually a pick up line. That isn't true, is it? I mean, yeah.” When he didn't get any response, he lifted his head only to find Nico with a huge smile on his flushed face. “Nico?”

“She's right. That was, in all honesty, a pick up line. It's the best I could think of in such a short time, though,” he muttered, now being the one to look away. “It was a long shot, given, but I thought it might be worth it if I had a chance with you.”

Staring up at Nico with large, green eyes, Percy's mouth fell open. “Me? You wanted a chance with me?” His voice dripped with confusion. “Why? I am nothing special Nico di Angelo, and you aren't allowed to say otherwise.”

The embarrassed smile that grace the Italian's face fell, only to be replaced with a less lovely frown. “Percy Jackson, I will always say otherwise. As far as I am concerned, you are worth it. I wouldn't have spent this entire summer spending every second I could with you, because I knew there was a chance I would never see you again, if I thought otherwise. Don't you dare say you aren't worth it.”

A dark blush spread across Percy's face. It took him a few minutes before he had the ability to meet Nico's eyes again. “Why do you always know exactly how to make me feel good about myself?” He pushed forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Nico.

Laughing, the Italian held him close and kissed the top of his head. “Because, more than anything, I just want to see you smile,” he explained. Tilting up Percy's chin, he placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Am I allowed to visit you during the school year?”

Percy snorted. “Damn right, di Angelo. You better come and visit me. This isn't just a summer fling.”

 


End file.
